Andes Mountains: Physiography of the Central Andes: The Central Andes begin at latitude 35° S, at a point where the cordillera undergoes a sharp change of character. Its width increases to about 50 miles, and it becomes arid and higher; the passes, too, are higher and more difficult to cross.…

industrial court: …court has been called the Central Arbitration Committee. The minister of labour can refer a dispute to ad hoc arbitrators or to the industrial court for an award if the parties consent. If the parties do not consent, the labour minister can refer the matter to a court of inquiry…

Kitikmeot, westernmost of the three regions of Nunavut territory, Canada. It was designated the Central Arctic region of the Northwest Territories in 1981, being formed from the northern part of Fort Smith region. In 1982 it received its present name, which is the traditional Inuit word for the

Colorado River: Economic development: …way for funding of the Central Arizona Project (completed in the 1980s), which transferred water to the cities of Phoenix and Tucson. The project consists of a mountain tunnel through which water from the southern end of Lake Havasu is pumped up and into an aqueduct that flows southward to…

Arkansas: Education: Also prominent is the University of Central Arkansas, founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, in Conway. A handful of other universities and nearly two dozen community colleges are supported by the state. There also are a number of private and church-affiliated colleges and universities.

Big Dig, the largest and most expensive highway infrastructure project in American history. Initially conceived in the 1970s and begun in 1991, it took 15 years of construction to reroute Boston’s major highway, Interstate Highway 93 (I-93), through an underground tunnel. The project was plagued

Central Asia, central region of Asia, extending from the Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east. It is bounded on the north by Russia and on the south by Iran, Afghanistan, and China. The region consists of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,

history of Central Asia, history of the area from prehistoric and ancient times to the present. In its historical application the term Central Asia designates an area that is considerably larger than the heartland of the Asian continent. Were it not for the awkwardness of the term, it would be

Central Asian arts, literary, performing, and visual arts of a large portion of Asia embracing the Turkic republics (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan), Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and parts of Russia and China. As used here, the term

Central Asian literatures, the poetry and prose writings produced in a variety of languages in Central Asia, roughly defined as the region bounded to the east by the Tarim Basin in China, to the west by the Caspian Sea, and to the south by the Amu Darya (Oxus River). This region includes

biogeographic region: Western and Central Asian region: Centred on the desert steppes of Central Asia and Mongolia, this floristic zone consists of 200 or more endemic genera and extends from the Caucasus to the Plateau of Tibet, with arid zone plants of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot) and…

chemical bonding: Hypervalence: …more atoms attached to a central atom than can be accommodated by an octet of electrons. An example is sulfur hexafluoride, SF6, for which writing a Lewis structure with six S―F bonds requires that at least 12 electrons be present around the sulfur atom:

central bank, institution, such as the Bank of England, the U.S. Federal Reserve System, or the Bank of Japan, that is charged with regulating the size of a nation’s money supply, the availability and cost of credit, and the foreign-exchange value of its currency. Regulation of the availability and

Luis Arce: Early life and career: …his long tenure at the Central Bank of Bolivia with a position as a trader and market analyst in the Department of International Investments. Over the next roughly 20 years, Arce advanced through the ranks of the Central Bank, heading up or acting as the deputy manager of various departments.…

Brazil: Finance: It oversees the Central Bank of Brazil, which issues currency (the real) and controls the money supply, credit, foreign capital, and other top-level financial matters. The federal government also uses other public financial institutions to implement its policies, the most important of which is the Bank of Brazil.…

Chile: Trade and finance: The Central Bank of Chile, established in 1925, is the official bank of the country; it implements the internal banking policies of the government and also conducts foreign trade. In 1989 the bank became an autonomous institution entirely responsible for the country’s financial and exchange-rate policies.…

Iraq: Finance: The Central Bank of Iraq (founded in 1947 and one of the first central banks in the Arab world) has the sole right to issue the dinar, the national currency. The Rafidain Bank (1941) is the oldest commercial bank, but in 1988 the state founded a…

Ireland: Finance: The Central Bank of Ireland, established in 1942, is the national monetary authority. Its responsibilities include licensing and overseeing the country’s financial institutions and supervising the Irish Stock Exchange. The bank does not transact business with the public, but it exerts a considerable influence on the…

Kenya: Finance and trade: The state-run Central Bank of Kenya, established by legislation in 1966, regulates the money supply (the monetary unit is the Kenyan shilling), assists in the development of the monetary, credit, and banking system, acts as banker and financial adviser to the government, and grants short-term or seasonal…

Libya: Competing governments in Tripoli and Tobruk: …internal tensions loomed at the Central Bank of Libya, which collected and administered the country’s oil revenue. The governor of the Central Bank reversed attempts by his deputy in September 2014 to transfer funds to the House of Representatives. Later that year the House of Representatives placed the deputy governor…

Mauritania: Finance: The Central Bank of Mauritania was established in 1973 and issues the national currency, the ouguiya. In addition to the central bank, there are a number of commercial banks of varying size. Mauritania’s banking sector is centred at Nouakchott. Insurance companies in Mauritania were state-owned prior…

Namibia: Finance and trade: The Central Bank of Namibia launched an independent currency, the Namibian dollar, to replace the South African rand in the mid-1990s.

Nicaragua: Finance: The Central Bank of Nicaragua, established in 1961, has the sole right of issue of the national currency, the córdoba. The financial system had been dominated by the government-owned Finance Corporation of Nicaragua, an amalgamation of the country’s banks established in 1980, but by the early…

South Sudan: Finance and trade: …South Sudan declared independence, the Central Bank of South Sudan became the national bank and a new currency, the South Sudan pound, was introduced. In addition to the central bank, there are also commercial and foreign banks in the country.

Sri Lanka: Finance: …currency are controlled by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Until the late 1970s, commercial banking was the near-exclusive monopoly of two state-run banks, the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank. The postliberalization period allowed the establishment of several private commercial banks and an overall expansion in banking, particularly…

North Korea: Finance and other services: …the official currency, and the Central Bank of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the sole bank of issue. It receives all national revenues and precious metals and provides government agencies with working capital. There are several other state banks, all supervised by the Central Bank. Among these is…

The Gambia: Finance and trade: The Central Bank of The Gambia issues the national currency, the dalasi. There are several private banks in the country as well.

Uruguay: Finance: The Central Bank of Uruguay (1967) issues currency (the Uruguayan peso), regulates foreign exchange, and oversees the country’s private banks. Other state banks include the Bank of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, which is the country’s largest commercial bank, and the Mortgage Bank of Uruguay.

Mali: Finance and trade: …share a common bank, the Central Bank of West African States (Banque Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest), which is headquartered in Dakar, Seneg. The bank issues the currency used by the member countries, the CFA (Communauté Financière Africaine) franc, officially pegged to the euro since 2002. Mali has…

Yemen: Finance: The Central Bank of Yemen was formed in 1990 from the merger of the central banks of the two Yemens. It is responsible for issuing the rial, the national currency, and for managing the government’s foreign exchange and other financial operations. The Yemen Bank for Reconstruction…

Conway: …from Altus in 1890), and Central Baptist College (1952). Arkansas Children’s Colony (1959), for the mentally handicapped, is also in the city.

Central Bedfordshire, unitary authority in the southeastern Midlands of England. It is bounded to the north by the unitary authority of Bedford, to the northeast by Cambridgeshire, to the southeast by Hertfordshire and the unitary authority of Luton, to the southwest by Buckinghamshire, and to the

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), governmental regulating body for the Indian filmmaking industry. Popularly known as the Censor Board, the CBFC was set up under the Cinematograph Act of 1952. Its purpose is to certify, by means of screening and rating, the suitability of feature films,

orangutan: Classification: pygmaeus pygmaeus, and P. pygmaeus wurmbii. During the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago), the orangutan range was much more extensive, and orangutan remains have been found as far north as southern China.

Central Brāhui Range, southern offshoot of the Himalayas, lying in the centre of the Balochistān plateau, Pakistan. It extends southward for about 225 miles (360 km) from the Pishīn Lora and Zhob rivers to the Mūla River. The range is a series of parallel limestone ridges covered with juniper

Milky Way Galaxy: The central bulge: Surrounding the nucleus is an extended bulge of stars that is nearly spherical in shape and that consists primarily of Population II stars, though they are comparatively rich in heavy elements. (For an explanation of Population II stars, see Stars and stellar populations.)…

Southern Africa: The spread of Bantu languages: …characteristic settlement pattern—known as the Central Cattle Pattern—that embodied both the new centrality of cattle and the different nature of hierarchy in these communities.

Nakh languages, languages spoken in the Caucasus in southwestern Russia and in the Akhmeta district of Georgia. The Nakh language group includes Chechen, Ingush, and Bats (Tsova-Tushian). Because Bats has no written form, its speakers use Georgian as their literary language. The Nakh group,

Dajōkan: …the various ministries; and a Central Chamber (Sei-in), which subsumed the powers of the other two chambers.

Central City, city, seat (1861) of Gilpin county, north-central Colorado, U.S. It lies along North Fork of Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, 26 miles (42 km) west of Denver. A historic mining town on a rocky hillside along Gregory Gulch (elevation 8,560 feet [2,609 metres]), it

China: Role of the CCP: …once in five years, the Central Committee is empowered to act when the Congress is not in session. Further, the Political Bureau can act in the name of the Central Committee when the latter is not in session, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau guides the work of…

Central Committee, in the history of the Soviet Union, the highest organ of the Communist Party between party congresses, though in practice this status was held by the Politburo from the 1920s on. The Communist parties of other countries were also governed by central committees. The first Central

city mission: As a result, the Central Committee for the Inner Mission was formed in 1849, and Inner Mission societies were formed in Germany’s large cities and in the territorial churches.

Reform Judaism: …the late 20th century the Central Conference of American Rabbis continued to debate how best to continue the spirit of the Reform movement. It issued several new prayer books for the modern age and considered such issues as inclusion of single parents in the congregation, the position of women in…

Central Connecticut State University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in New Britain, Conn., U.S. It is one of four universities in the Connecticut State University system. The university includes schools of business, technology, arts and sciences, and education and

Central Connecticut State University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in New Britain, Conn., U.S. It is one of four universities in the Connecticut State University system. The university includes schools of business, technology, arts and sciences, and education and

Hungary: Labour and taxation: …reorganized in 1988 as the National Confederation of Hungarian Trade Unions. The largest trade union in Hungary, with some 40 organizations under its umbrella at the start of the 21st century, it became part of an even bigger organization in 2013 when it joined with the Autonomous Trade Union Confederation…

Bulgaria: Labour and taxation: …trade unions belonged to the Central Council of Trade Unions (Tsentralen Sŭvet na Profesionalnite Sŭyuzi), founded in 1944 and allied with the Bulgarian Communist Party. It was reconstituted in 1989 as the Confederation of Independent Bulgarian Trade Unions (S’uz na Nezavisemite B’lgarski Profs’uze).

Old Bailey, byname of the Central Criminal Court in London. It is perhaps the best known of several buildings housing the Crown Court, which handles the most serious criminal offenses in England and Wales. The present building (opened in 1907) is a familiar part of London’s skyline, with its copper

Cushitic languages: Cushitic, or Beja; Central Cushitic (also known as Agau [Agaw, Agew]), with languages such as Bilin, Kemant, Kwara, Xamtage, and Awngi; South Cushitic (spoken mainly in Tanzania), including Iraqw, Burunge, and Gorowa, the hybrid language Maʾa/Mbugu, and (in Kenya) Dahalo; Highland East Cushitic, including Burji, Sidamo, Kambata, and

Spain: National parties: …Centre (Unión de Centro Democrático; UCD), and the major opposition party was the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español; PSOE). The only other national parties of importance were the right-wing Popular Alliance (Alianza Popular; AP) and the Spanish Communist Party (Partido Comunista de España; PCE).

diabetes insipidus: Types and causes: …gland) for storage, is called central diabetes insipidus. This condition may be caused by trauma, such as brain or pituitary surgery, and diseases, such as brain tumours, pituitary tumours, or granulomatous infiltration (formation of grainlike lumps that are associated with certain diseases, including tuberculosis and sarcoidosis). When a result of…

Fernanda Montenegro: …film Central do Brasil (1998; Central Station). Critics praised her portrayal of Dora, an embittered retired schoolteacher in Rio de Janeiro who ekes out a living writing letters for illiterate people and who finds redemption after she decides to help a homeless boy search for his father. Montenegro won the…

reverse transcriptase: Early retrovirus observations: …biology known as the “central dogma.” This asserted that DNA is first transcribed into RNA, RNA is translated into amino acids, and amino acids assemble into long chains, called polypeptides, that make up proteins—the functional units of cellular life. However, while this central dogma is true, as with many…

Dravidian languages: Central Dravidian languages: The Central Dravidian languages are spoken by some 200,000 individuals. Kolami has the largest number of speakers, approximately 122,000 people, and has borrowed heavily from Telugu.

Arctic: Ethnic groups: … were often included in the Central Eskimo, a grouping that otherwise included the Caribou Inuit (Kivallirmiut) of the barrens west of Hudson Bay and the Iglulik (Iglulingmuit), Netsilik (Netsilingmiut), Copper (Inuinnait), and Mackenzie Inuit (Inuvialuit), all of whom live on or near the Arctic Ocean in northern Canada. The Mackenzie…

Europe: Central European climate: The central European, or transitional, type of climate results from the interaction of both maritime and continental air masses and is found at the core of Europe, south and east of the maritime type, west of the much larger continental type, and…

Kosovo: Trade: …became a party to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) in 2006, but Serbia, also a CEFTA member, refused to recognize Kosovo as an independent trading partner.

Hungary: Higher education: …religious universities were established, including Central European University (CEU) of Budapest, founded by the Hungarian American philanthropist George Soros as an English-language postgraduate institution where the students are introduced to Sir Karl Popper’s idea of an “open society.” Changes to Hungarian law relating to higher education that were enacted in…

Central Falls, city, Providence county, northeastern Rhode Island, U.S. It forms part of the lower Blackstone River valley community, which includes the city of Pawtucket and the towns (townships) of Cumberland and Lincoln. Central Falls was originally a part of Smithfield, when that town was set

Mississippi College: …Female Institute, which was renamed Hillman College in 1891. In 1942 Mississippi College subsumed Hillman College and again became coeducational. Graduate-level courses were offered from 1950, and the Graduate School was formed in 1975.

brain: Two major furrows—the central sulcus and the lateral sulcus—divide each cerebral hemisphere into four sections: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The central sulcus, also known as the fissure of Rolando, also separates the cortical motor area (which is anterior to the fissure) from the cortical sensory…

University of Central Florida, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Orlando, Florida, U.S. It is part of the State University System of Florida. It consists of a main campus in Orlando and branch campuses in Cocoa (Brevard campus) and Daytona Beach, as well as two additional

Jean-Baptiste-Robert Lindet: …Lindet assumed direction of the Central Food Committee, which was to requisition food and military supplies for the troops. Soon the efficient bureaucratic apparatus he set up was regulating much of the production and distribution of agricultural and industrial goods. Nevertheless, he remained essentially a moderate. He looked forward to…

West Germanic languages: History: …of the South Germanic “Franconian,” or Frankish. The crucial early period of this contact occurred in the 7th and 8th centuries and resulted from the expansion of Frankish (Merovingian and early Carolingian) power into the western coastal areas that were populated by North Sea Germanic groups. The most important…

Germany: The Central German Uplands: Geographically, the Central German Uplands form a region of great complexity. Under the impact of the Alpine orogeny, the planed-off remnants of the former Hercynian mountains were shattered and portions thrust upward to form block mountains, with sedimentary rocks preserved between them…

government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Central Greece, region of mainland Greece lying south of the provinces of Epirus (Modern Greek: Ípeiros) and Thessaly (Thessalía), and north of the gulfs of Pátrai and Corinth (Korinthiakós) and the Saronic Gulf. Because the main mountain ranges of the Greek peninsula have a definite

Gur languages: …into one of two groups: Central Gur and Senufo. Central Gur itself breaks down into two major subgroups, termed Oti-Volta (with some 25 languages in Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso) and Grusi (with a further 20 languages, some to the west and others to the east of the Oti-Volta…

Beijing: Public and commercial buildings: …beyond another courtyard, is the Hall of Central (or Complete) Harmony (Zhonghedian), where the emperor paused to rest before going into the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Beyond the Hall of Central Harmony is the last hall, the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian), after which comes the Inner Court (Neiting). The…

heating: Historical development: …modern times is known as central, or indirect, heating. It consists of the conversion of energy to heat at a source outside of, apart from, or located within the site or sites to be heated; the resulting heat is conveyed to the site through a fluid medium such as air,…

Brazilian Highlands, eroded plateau region of central and southeastern Brazil. Comprising more than half of the country’s landmass, the highlands are located mainly in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Goiás, and Mato Grosso estados (states). Rising to an average elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) above

Afghanistan: Physiographic regions: The central highlands—actually a part of the Himalayan chain—include the main Hindu Kush range. Its area of about 160,000 square miles (414,000 square km) is a region of deep, narrow valleys and lofty mountains, some peaks of which rise above 21,000 feet (6,400 metres). High mountain…

Arizona: Relief: …broad valleys south through the Transition Zone and into the Basin and Range Province. The Transition Zone bordering the plateaus comprises separated plateau blocks, rugged peaks, and isolated rolling uplands so forbidding that they remained mostly unexplored until the late 19th century. The zone marks the ecological border between the…

Cordillera Central, mountain range in western Dominican Republic. The core of its highlands rises just west of Santo Domingo, the national capital, and extends northwestward to the Haitian border; from it flow the headstreams of the nation’s three chief river systems—the Yuna, the Yaque del Norte,

hypothyroidism: Causes of hypothyroidism: …form of hypothyroidism known as central hypothyroidism, in which there is a deficiency of thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone; TSH), the hormone of the anterior pituitary gland that controls the thyroid. Central hypothyroidism may be caused by pituitary disease or deficiency of thyrotropin-releasing hormone, the hypothalamic hormone that maintains thyrotropin secretion.

Ganges River: Navigation: …waterways, while the publicly owned Central Inland Water Transport Corporation, Ltd., is responsible for transporting cargo in the waterway system and maintains the transport vessels as well as the facilities at several ports. Approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of waterways in the Ganges basin from Prayagraj to Haldia are included…

Mossad, (Hebrew: “Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations”), one of the three major intelligence organizations of Israel, along with Aman (military intelligence) and Shin Bet (internal security). The Mossad is concerned with foreign intelligence gathering, intelligence analysis,

Dwayne Johnson: Acting: …Hart in the buddy comedy Central Intelligence.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), principal foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the U.S. government. Formally created in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) grew out of the World War II Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Previous U.S. intelligence and

GRU, (Russian: Chief Intelligence Office), Soviet military intelligence organization. It had no formal connection to the KGB, the Soviet political police and security agency, though Western intelligence authorities believed that the KGB had agents within the

intelligence: The United States: The director of central intelligence (DCI) plays two distinct roles as both head of the CIA and a leading adviser to the president on intelligence matters relating to national security. The powers vested in the office of the DCI have increased over the years.

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the oldest African American athletic conference in the United States. Originally named the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the CIAA was formed in 1912 to link and regulate sports competitions between historically African American

Central Java, propinsi (or provinsi; province), central Java, Indonesia. It is bounded by West Java (Jawa Barat) province to the west, the Java Sea to the north, East Java (Jawa Timur) province to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, and Yogyakarta daerah istimewa (special district) to the

New Jersey: Settlement patterns: Central Jersey, all of five counties and part of three, is largely a plain, but hilly areas occur in Hunterdon and Somerset counties. Middlesex and Mercer counties, especially the former, are industrialized. Princeton University is located in Mercer county and the borough of Princeton, which…

Methodism: America: In 1939 the Central Jurisdiction was formed for all African American members of the church. It was one of six jurisdictions—administrative units responsible for electing bishops—of the church and the only racial jurisdiction. Unlike the other jurisdictions, which were determined by geography, the Central Jurisdiction was shaped by…

Kalahari Desert: San: …distinct, the G/wi of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve can be considered an example of the traditional San hunter-gatherer way of life.

Central Kalimantan, propinsi (or provinsi; province), south-central Borneo, Indonesia, bounded by the provinces of East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur) to the north and northeast and South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan) to the southeast, by the Java Sea to the south, and by the province of West

Karakum Desert: Physiography: …northern Trans-Unguz Karakum; the low-lying Central Karakum; and the southeastern Karakum, through which runs a chain of salt marshes. Along the border of the Trans-Unguz and Central Karakum runs the Unguz chain of saline, isolated, eolian (wind-formed) hollows.

Great Karoo, plateau basin in Western Cape province, South Africa, lying between the Great Escarpment (north) and the Swartberg (south). It represents the effect of headwater erosion by rivers flowing southwest and southeast from the escarpment. The Great Karoo is divided into a western basin and a

Khoisan languages: Classification of the Khoisan languages: …three effectively unrelated groups: Northern, Central, and Southern. Sandawe of Tanzania has a distant relationship to the Central group, but the place of Hadza even in relation to Sandawe has always been unclear; and the status of Kwadi, an extinct language of Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in southwestern Angola, remains uncertain.…

Latin American Central of Workers, (CLAT), regional Christian Democrat trade union federation linked to the World Confederation of Labour (WCL). Its affiliated member groups represent some 10,000,000 workers in more than 35 Latin-American and Caribbean countries and territories. Its headquarters

Central League, one of the two associations of professional baseball teams in Japan (the other being the Pacific League). Both the Central League and the Pacific League were founded in 1950. The Central League comprises six teams, each of which is owned and sponsored by a major corporation. The

museum: Early period of reassessment: Sometimes, as with the Central Lenin Museum in Moscow (1936–93), they were means of communicating political propaganda.

Albert Mansbridge: …and a scholarly library (National Central Library) for working people unaffiliated with an academic institution. He organized WEA branches in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; and, after recovering from spinal meningitis, he established other adult-education groups: the World Association for Adult Education (1918), the Seafarers’ Educational Service (1919), and…

central limit theorem, in probability theory, a theorem that establishes the normal distribution as the distribution to which the mean (average) of almost any set of independent and randomly generated variables rapidly converges. The central limit theorem explains why the normal distribution arises

human nervous system: Lobes of the cerebral cortex: …of the cerebrum is the insular, or central, lobe, an invaginated triangular area on the medial surface of the lateral sulcus; it can be seen in the intact brain only by separating the frontal and parietal lobes from the temporal lobe. The insular lobe is thought to be involved in…

Connecticut: Relief and drainage: The Central Lowland is different in character from the other two regions, being a downfaulted block of land approximately 20 miles (30 km) wide at the Massachusetts border and narrowing as it progresses toward the sea, which it meets at New Haven. It is filled with…

United States: The Interior Lowlands and their upland fringes: …the United States—is the great Central Lowland, which stretches for 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from New York to central Texas and north another 1,000 miles to the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. To some, the landscape may seem dull, for heights of more than 2,000 feet (600 meters) are unusual, and…

Lowlands: …regions: the Midland Valley (or Central Lowlands) and the Southern Uplands (of southern Scotland).